Posts written in September 2016

Headline grabbing transfer fees, staggering sums paid to agents, and a record-breaking total summer transfer spend by English Premier League clubs has prompted questions over how far football’s extravagance can go. In response, Mino Raiola, agent to Manchester United’s world record signing Paul Pogba, stated that he expects to see the first £200m ($305.6m) transfer fee paid within three to four years. With the new deal to broadcast Premier League games coming into play this summer, clubs have vast financial resources available to them, with an estimated £2.78bn ($4.2bn) flooding… Read more

The global fish and seafood market has grown steadily in recent years, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8% between 2011 and 2015, according to data from research company MarketLine. MarketLine’s latest report shows that market values have increased in all regions. Global growth, however, is primarily driven by Asia-Pacific and South America, as the swelling middle classes begin to buy more expensive products through the organized retail channel. Despite this, the US is still the single largest market, and it is important for the global market that… Read more

The Chinese banks industry reached a total asset value of almost $32 trillion in 2015, accounting for 58% of all Asia-Pacific’s assets and making it the world’s single largest banks industry by a considerable margin, according to research firm MarketLine. Despite economic growth slowing in recent years, China’s banks industry has continued to record dynamic, double-digit year-on-year growth, and although deceleration is expected between 2016 and 2020, a strong compound annual growth rate of 9.9% is projected. MarketLine’s report shows that bank credit in China is a much smaller segment… Read more

China’s economic growth has been slowing for a while now and while it remains healthy, there are concerns over the state of the country’s banking industry. Non-performing loan (NPL) rates have been increasing, with some of the country’s biggest banks seeing a surge in that particular metric. Bank of China and ICBC saw noticeable increases in their NPL rates during 2015, necessitating greater allowances for credit losses, while Agricultural Bank saw something of a surge from 1.54% to 2.39%, with the retail and wholesale industry the main cause for concern…. Read more

The global make-up market reached a value of just over $43.6 billion in 2015, representing a compound annual growth rate of 4.4% from 2011, with the US eclipsing the whole of Europe and commanding 27% of total market revenues, according to research company MarketLine. MarketLine’s latest report finds that French cosmetics powerhouse L’Oréal retains a healthy lead over its nearest competitor, Estée Lauder Companies, thanks largely to its status as market leader in the mature markets of North America and Europe. Nicholas Wyatt, Analyst for MarketLine, explains: “L’Oréal’s portfolio of… Read more

The global energy consumption sector grew to a value of just over $9.1 trillion in 2015, with Asia-Pacific (APAC) emerging as the largest regional market, and accounting for more than 50% of the global market’s value, according to MarketLine. The company’s report shows that China and the US form the two largest national energy consumption markets, valued at $2.7 trillion and $1.2 trillion, respectively. China, however, is expected to continue growing at a fast pace, while growth in the more mature US market is forecast to be moderate. Mohammad Hamza… Read more

In modern sport, funding is a large key to success and in no sport is that more apparent than football, the ultimate game of the haves and have nots. International football has not escaped the phenomenon with England plowing in money as if it is an endless resource while Ghana’s players insisted on cash only payments at the 2014 World Cup amid fears that they would not be paid otherwise. Wembley Stadium, world-leading salaries and a state-of-the-art football center do not come cheap and the money has to come from… Read more

Global government spending will grow from $28 trillion in 2015 to hit $35 trillion in 2020, registering a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.5%, says research firm MarketLine. The company’s report states that growth will primarily be driven by the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and the US, with CAGRs of 6.5% and 5%, respectively, during the forecast period. Kate Moody, Analyst for MarketLine, says: “Strong growth has been felt in some of the key markets in this sector, primarily the US, China, and Germany. APAC will be the primary driver… Read more

September 01 2016 saw SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) hit the headlines after the explosion of one of its Falcon-9 rockets on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. The incident, which occurred during a test launch, destroyed the rocket and its cargo – a $200m satellite. The explosion was the latest bad news in a turbulent week for CEO Elon Musk. Shares in Tesla Motors – where Musk is CEO and largest shareholder – dropped 5.3% after it announced it would need to raise additional capital before the end of… Read more

The VW emissions scandal shows little sign of slowing – affected consumers must be compensated whatever the cost if the scandal is to be finally concluded. Volkswagen owners in the US received $20,000 per case in compensation; European owners received a mere software update. However, this could be about to change after courts in Germany ruled a pilot case filed against the company by investors could go ahead. Efforts are underway to circumvent European Union laws and bring about similar cases in other European countries too. It follows a raft… Read more

Surrounding this acquisition purchase came many queries questioning the future success of such a transaction. With an alarming price tag attached to the bill, Microsoft acquiring LinkedIn is by far the largest purchase it has made in history. With a pretty poor track record in large acquisitions, (with the exception of Skype of course), it remains to be seen if this one is any different. CEO Satya Nadella has been leading Microsoft since early 2014 and feels it is his job to turn the poor history of buyouts into a… Read more